More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

Imagine if it were the size of a nickle or something, instead of a deck of cards

Imagine if the laws of physics didn't apply!

But seriously, the minimum size of devices like this will be constrained by the need to have a GPS antenna and a cellular antenna, and those will never be the size of a nickel. Imagine the smallest cellular phone you've ever seen, remove the battery, and that's probably going to be close to the limit.

For power, piezoelectric harvesting might be perfect for this, since something you want to track is presumably going to be moving frequently.

This type of thing should be regulated and background checks performed before being sold. Makes it way too easy for stalkers and other scumbags to track their victims from afar. The boundary line between useful and intrusive / security risks... this company has crossed it.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

He's 10. My wife and I just separated, so he's shuttling back and forth between two houses now. I want him to be able to call me any time; the tracking is just a bonus.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Thank you. That is exactly what I would have written if I had been eloquent enough.

What's new here? I worked for a startup in 2005 and 2006 that did the same thing. A box about the size of iPhone 4, slightly thicker, that contained GPS and GSM chips, would report its location every x minutes. We used to rent these things out for companies who had expensive equipment to rent out (such as large LCD TVs for conventions), and pricing was very reasonable.

It didnt work underground, and indoor location data was not accurate. But it would track the device more or less.

Also, we had a whole mapping app built using Flash (gasp!) and ColdFusion, with map data leased from Navteq.

I could have used a couple of these last year when I got burgled. One or two of these painted the appropriate color on my high value appliances that got jacked could have resulted in some timely arrests.

Instead, the burglary ring took over a year to catch, and required the use of at least a half dozen agencies.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Also, teenagers. You want to trust them because they are your children, but they lie. They sneak out of the house in the middle of the night (sometimes setting off the alarm, haha). They run off for days on end and skip school. Because teenagers. Seriously, they're like little kids in semi adult bodies making terrible decision on a daily basis because their brains aren't fully formed. Keeping track of our kids is our responsibility as parents, and how a parent decides to do that is their choice. I gave my kid a Sprint phone because of the family locator service they offer. On more than one occasion it has revealed that he was not where he was supposed to be, but a lot of the time it has allowed him to go further and further from the house simply because i could at any point determine his location. Usually all it takes is a phone call to remind him that I know he's not where he's supposed to be to get him back on track.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

I never trust my kids. I think back to when I was a kid and remember all the stupid things I did. You can trust your kids with some things, but you always need to spot check them to keep them honest, and to protect them from themselves and others around them.

Unless you have a great lawyer that will get them off with an 'afluenza' defence, but that won't help your kid if he/she is in the passenger seat.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Also, teenagers. You want to trust them because they are your children, but they lie. They sneak out of the house in the middle of the night (sometimes setting off the alarm, haha). They run off for days on end and skip school. Because teenagers. Seriously, they're like little kids in semi adult bodies making terrible decision on a daily basis because their brains aren't fully formed. Keeping track of our kids is our responsibility as parents, and how a parent decides to do that is their choice. I gave my kid a Sprint phone because of the family locator service they offer. On more than one occasion it has revealed that he was not where he was supposed to be, but a lot of the time it has allowed him to go further and further from the house simply because i could at any point determine his location. Usually all it takes is a phone call to remind him that I know he's not where he's supposed to be to get him back on track.

It's funny how people (especially those not parents) like to act as though not always trusting your child is a failing on you as a parent. So it is good when other parents agree - sometimes kids do dumb things, regardless of your efforts as a parent.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Also, teenagers. You want to trust them because they are your children, but they lie. They sneak out of the house in the middle of the night (sometimes setting off the alarm, haha). They run off for days on end and skip school. Because teenagers. Seriously, they're like little kids in semi adult bodies making terrible decision on a daily basis because their brains aren't fully formed. Keeping track of our kids is our responsibility as parents, and how a parent decides to do that is their choice. I gave my kid a Sprint phone because of the family locator service they offer. On more than one occasion it has revealed that he was not where he was supposed to be, but a lot of the time it has allowed him to go further and further from the house simply because i could at any point determine his location. Usually all it takes is a phone call to remind him that I know he's not where he's supposed to be to get him back on track.

Yes, and we did the same thing when we were their age, and our parents didn't resort to tracking us. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should! Most of us grew up in an age before cell phones - you were given a time to be back home and there'd be hell to pay if you weren't there on time.

Sure, it is your choice on how you raise your kid but remember that a lot of this orwellian-style surveillance did not exist when were kids and most of us turned out ok.

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Also, teenagers. You want to trust them because they are your children, but they lie. They sneak out of the house in the middle of the night (sometimes setting off the alarm, haha). They run off for days on end and skip school. Because teenagers. Seriously, they're like little kids in semi adult bodies making terrible decision on a daily basis because their brains aren't fully formed. Keeping track of our kids is our responsibility as parents, and how a parent decides to do that is their choice. I gave my kid a Sprint phone because of the family locator service they offer. On more than one occasion it has revealed that he was not where he was supposed to be, but a lot of the time it has allowed him to go further and further from the house simply because i could at any point determine his location. Usually all it takes is a phone call to remind him that I know he's not where he's supposed to be to get him back on track.

Yes, and we did the same thing when we were their age, and our parents didn't resort to tracking us. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should! Most of us grew up in an age before cell phones - you were given a time to be back home and there'd be hell to pay if you weren't there on time.

Sure, it is your choice on how you raise your kid but remember that a lot of this orwellian-style surveillance did not exist when were kids and most of us turned out ok.

While I don't have kids, I would counter that society isn't the same as when we were kids. I also see kids do lots of stupid things I wouldn't have thought of doing when I was a kid.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Well, yeah, but tracking them?

When she's 12, will you hack her e-mail?

Shit happens, but we all made it to these forums without out parents (being able to) tracking us. Shouldn't we extend that courtesy to our kids?

More on-topic, I would be very interested in one of these for tracking my kid, but AT&T's new pricing just allowed me to add my old iPhone 4S onto my plan for only $15/month, and I already own the device.

So for $5/month more, I get tracking, and he gets a phone.

Why would you want to track your kid? Do you not trust him / her?

Sometimes, no, I don't have kids old enough to be out driving, but my 7 year old recently began hiding homework pages from us and telling us she had finished everything. So, right now every Monday we email the teacher and get the list of homework pages and compare them to what she brings home. Because we can't trust her to be honest about it right now.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

This is the best response to that question that I have ever seen. Well said!

Sure, it is your choice on how you raise your kid but remember that a lot of this orwellian-style surveillance did not exist when were kids and most of us turned out ok.

Same folks who over-surveil their kids complain about corporate and governmental surveilance and (young) people's complicity over being surveiled. It's all about exerting and resisting control, not being consistent or anything.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Well, yeah, but tracking them?

When she's 12, will you hack her e-mail?

Shit happens, but we all made it to these forums without out parents (being able to) tracking us. Shouldn't we extend that courtesy to our kids?

Hell NO!

Let me know when your kid commits suicide because of bullying, or is arrested because they bullied someone else. Then we'll see if you should have hacked their email.

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Well, yeah, but tracking them?

When she's 12, will you hack her e-mail?

Shit happens, but we all made it to these forums without out parents (being able to) tracking us. Shouldn't we extend that courtesy to our kids?

What about those who didn't "make it"? Jimmy Ryce's killer was just executed yesterday, do you think that the parents didn't wish, even once, that they had a way to track their child?

That's a truth as a parent, sometimes kids will do things that break trust, and as a parent we have the responsibility to then do our due diligence in ensuring that the child learns from the mistakes and does not make them again.

Also, I may trust my children, I do not always trust the world around them, things out of their control can put them in dangerous situations, and as a parent I am ultimately responsible for that.

Well, yeah, but tracking them?

When she's 12, will you hack her e-mail?

Shit happens, but we all made it to these forums without out parents (being able to) tracking us. Shouldn't we extend that courtesy to our kids?

Yes, but when I was a kid it wasn't possible for me to take naked pictures of my underage girlfriend, instantly send them to a buddy, and have him broadcast them for the whole world to see, opening myself up to sex offender charges. When I was a kid I couldn't put a stupid thoughtless comment jokingly threatening someone on a facebook page that can be viewed worldwide leading to serious federal criminal charges.

Technology has enabled many new risks for kids, and has made the consequences much broader. Kids have the ability to broadcast mistakes to the world, without even understanding what they did.

Using technology to help keep them from making the big mistakes? Hell yea I will.

And at 12 years old she will not have a private email - no more than my parents gave me a private phone line. She will have an email that my wife and I will have the password to, and she will know that we will be checking on it periodically. As she proves herself trustworthy using it, we will monitor less, until we agree she is ready for a private email. Same with something like this. As she gets to the point she wants to be out doing things without us, we will ask that she keep this (or something like it) with her so we know where she is. If she follows through with that, and we find we can trust her to be where she says she will be then we will be able to stop using it.

I have no problem extending trust to my children, as they earn it. But I do not blindly assume they will have the proper tools in their mental toolbox to handle new situations unless I help them develop those tools. To my mind handing a 10-12 year old a private email address with no training period is the same as giving them the keys to the car without spending time sitting in the passenger seat training them. Same for a cell phone, or laptop.

Children are necessarily naive, they will see all the benefits of having <car, cell phone, laptop,etc.> without understanding the risks and responsibilities that go with it. It is my job as a parent to impart to them an understanding of those risks in a safe way so that they are not a danger to themselves and others.